Water pipe with a container and a distributor element

ABSTRACT

A water pipe has a water receiving container  1  with an opening  2  on its upper side. A connecting device is provided in the area of the opening, via which a distributor device is connected to the container. The connection between the container and the distributor element is constructed as a bayonet mount, i.e. the opening of the container forms one side of this bayonet mount and the lower side of the distributor element forms the other side of this bayonet mount.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to German Patent Application No. DE 20 2013 101 208.4 filed 21 Mar. 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a water pipe (also known as a hookah).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The principle of a water pipe is explained in DE 20 2008 016 573 U1.

In a water pipe, tobacco is heated by a hot medium, e.g. charcoal. The outflowing vapors are routed through a water bath, cooled and cleaned and smoked via a hose outlet. The schematic structure of a water pipe is the subject of the above-mentioned publication. It consists of a substantially vertical body tube, to the top of which a tobacco head (also known as a tobacco bowl) is attached that receives both the heating medium (the hot coals) and the tobacco to be smoked. The lower end of the body tube extends into a container partially filled with water. The hose leading to a mouthpiece for the user is flanged onto the tube above the water in this container. A water pipe can also have additional attributes, such as a plate or holding devices for cigars or cigarettes, but these are not of primary interest in the present invention.

In all known water-pipes, the body tube, at the top of which the tobacco body is positioned, is fixedly connected, e.g. welded or screwed, to a distributor element, which is in turn connected to the container holding the water and, on its underside, has a tube protruding into the water. This distributor element, which also has the outputs for the hoses of the mouthpieces leading to the user, is usually connected to the container that holds the water by means of a screw closure, or simply by plugging the distributor element into the container. In the case of a screw closure, the container has an outside thread, while the distributor element has a mating inside thread. This is problematic if the container is made of glass, because then the thread is easily damaged when the distributor element is being screwed on. In the case of a plug-in closure, an O-ring-like seal is typically used on the container to ensure sealing contact with the distributor element.

The connection between the container and distributor element is a problem for all known water-pipes because, on the one hand, there is often damage, and on the other, the connection is not tight.

SUMMARY

There is therefore the problem of further developing a water pipe with a water receiving container that has an upper opening and a distributor element that can be connected to this opening in such a manner that a fast and reliable disassembly and assembly of the water pipe is possible.

This problem is solved by an embodiment of the invention. Advantageous configurations are also disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

An embodiment of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. It shows a side view of a water pipe, but without a hose connected.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The water pipe shown in the drawing has a water receiving container 1, which can be placed with its underside on the floor or the surface of a table and is partially filled with water. In the broadest sense, the container 1 has the shape of a bottle with an opening 2 on its upper side. A connecting device is provided in the area of the opening, via which a distributor device 3 is connected to the container 1. The distributor element 3 has a tube (not shown) that projects downward into the container 1 and under the water surface and opens directly into a tube 6 projecting upward from the distributor piece 3 and having a tobacco head 5 for receiving a heat generating medium and tobacco attached to its upper side. In the area between its connection to the opening 2 of the container 1 and the upward-projecting second tube 6, the distributor element 3 has several outwardly directed protrusions 7, which can have a closable design. A hose with a mouthpiece fixed to its opposite end can be attached at each protrusion 7.

According to the invention, the connection between the container 1 and the distributor element 3 is constructed as bayonet mount 4, i.e. the opening 2 of the container 1 forms one side of this bayonet mount 4 and the lower side of the distributor element 3 forms the other side of this bayonet mount. A bayonet mount comprises interlocking hooks displaceable relative to one another, which affect the fastening and locking of the components, the container 1 and the distributor element 3 in this case, by means of a short rotation.

The water pipe is not operated differently from other water pipes. A vaporization of the tobacco content substances without combustion is achieved in the area of the tobacco head 5 by tobacco and the materials generating heat there. These content substances move downward through the second tube 6 and from there directly reach the first tube, not shown, which leads into the container 1 and under the water surface. There the gas with the tobacco content substances flows out and moves outside the first tube (not shown) through the opening 2 of the container 1 into the distributor element 3 and then through the protrusions 7 into the hoses and on to the mouthpieces for the inhaling users.

The special advantage of the water pipe according to the invention is the connection of the water container 1 to the distributor element 3 in the form of a bayonet mount 4. Thereby the distributor element 3 can be connected to and removed from the container 1 very quickly and without damage. Even if the container 1 or the distributor element 3 is made from a hard, easily breaking material such as glass or ceramic, there is no risk of damage from the bayonet mount. In addition, absolute watertightness is achieved due to the pressing properties of the bayonet mount 4 via which the distributor element 3 is pressed tightly onto the opening 2 of the container 1, especially if a sealing ring, e.g., an O-ring (not shown), is used inside the bayonet mount 4.

All references cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. There are many different features to the present invention and it is contemplated that these features may be used together or separately. Thus, the invention should not be limited to any particular combination of features or to a particular application of the invention. Further, it should be understood that variations and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention might occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Accordingly, all expedient modifications readily attainable by one versed in the art from the disclosure set forth herein that are within the scope and spirit of the present invention are to be included as further embodiments of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. Water pipe with a container configured for holding water, with an upper opening and a distributor element connectable to the opening, wherein the opening has one side and the distributor element has a mating side of a bayonet mount.
 2. Water pipe according to claim 1, wherein the side of the bayonet mount connected to the container is glued thereto.
 3. Water pipe according to claim 1, wherein the distributor element has a first tube projecting downward into water of the container and a second tube projecting upward to accommodate a tobacco head, and at least one protrusion for connecting a hose leading to a mouthpiece.
 4. Water pipe according to claim 3, wherein the distributor element has several protrusions for hoses that each lead to a mouthpiece. 